


Vanish

by BlueNation



Category: Batman: Arkham Knight (Video Game), Young Justice (Cartoon)
Genre: Alternate Timelines, Arkham Knight storyline, Gen, Kidnapping, Kinda, Spoilers, Time Travel, Torture
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-03-19
Updated: 2016-03-19
Packaged: 2018-05-27 18:36:07
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,184
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6295306
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/BlueNation/pseuds/BlueNation
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Robin has been kidnapped. And that's not even the worst of it.</p>
<p>Spoilers for Batman: Arkham Knight.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Beginnings

**Author's Note:**

> If you somehow missed the summary, there are spoilers for the video game Batman: Arkham Knight. Don't say I didn't warn you.

  1.   
————

It's been one year since the Joker died and Gotham was as peaceful as ever. If this had been Metropolis or Keystone, the peace would have been a relief. But this was Gotham.

Bruce could feel it. Something bad was going to happen, and soon. It was only a matter of time.

A week before the incident, Bruce arrived at the cave only to find something slightly disturbing. Robin wasn't there.

He asked the team if they had seen him and only after all members had responded in the negative did his heart beat at a speed that would rival Barry’s.

Bruce called Alfred and informed him of Dick’s absence from the cave and ordered him to drive around Gotham and search for the boy. Bruce never ordered Alfred to do anything so it was a testament to how nervous he was.

Gotham was filled with people who would do anything for money, and most of those people would kidnap a billionaire’s ward without batting an eye. When Alfred called Bruce four hours later with the unfortunate news that he had not found Dick, Bruce went to Wonder Woman and Superman.

“I'm sure he's fine, Bruce. The kid can handle himself.” Clark told him.

Bruce was not comforted by that. He knew that Dick was able to handle himself, but if it had just been some simple thugs, Dick would have been home by now, which led to Bruce suspecting the worst.

“That's exactly my point, Clark.” Bruce said, angrily typing on the watchtower’s computer.

Diana put a hand on his shoulder and Bruce wanted to roll his eyes - something he must have picked up from Dick because he did not roll his eyes - at the pity rolling off her in waves.

“We’ll find him.” She said softly. Bruce grunted in response.

She was right. They would find him or Bruce would die trying.

—————

Then, a week later an entire diner was exposed to Scarecrow’s fear gas and attacked each other and Bruce felt his stomach tie itself in knots. The war that they had all been waiting for was here and Dick was still missing.

He hadn't told the Young Justice team despite all their questions as to where their youngest member had been the past week. Bruce told them he was sick and left it at that.

When he had informed them of Gotham’s current state, they asked when the boy would return.

“I told you, Wally, Robin is sick. Now, if you’ll turn your attention back-”

“Well, when will he be _un_ -sick?”

Batman pursed his lips. It was obvious Wally - and the rest of the team, probably - didn't believe his half-assed excuse.

Batman was about to tell the boy not to worry about Robin and to pay attention but Superman cut him off.

“Batman, stop this. They deserve to know.”

Batman didn't turn to him. He gestured to Superman, silently telling him to take the stage. He couldn't say it out loud.

“As you've probably all realized, Robin is not sick. He's missing.” Superman explained, pretending not to notice the way Batman avoided looking at them. He couldn't see their shocked and worried expressions, not when he's spent nearly a week awake worrying and searching for clues that might point in the kidnapper’s - because, whether Bruce wanted to admit it or not, the boy had been kidnapped - direction.

“What are we doing here, then? We should be out looking for him!” Wally stood, gathering the attention of everyone in the room.

“No, there's no need for that. I have it covered.” Batman quickly said.

Flash turned to him. “You don't even know if he's in Gotham anymore, and if he isn't, you're just one person. You can't do this alone, Bruce.” Thankfully, he said the last part low enough that none of the younger heroes heard them.

Despite the fact that he was wearing a mask, Flash could see the emotion in his eyes. Dick could handle himself, but at the end of the day, he was just a kid. He knew Bruce was blaming himself. All of the cameras and alarms that Bruce had and none of them picked up anything. But worse than all of that, Bruce hadn't noticed. Someone had broken into his house and kidnapped his… _son_ … and he didn't know.

Batman sighed. “Ok.”

Flash gave him a smile and nodded at Superman.

Everything was going to be okay. They were going to find Dick and defeat Scarecrow and everything was going to be fine.

Of course, there’s no happy endings in Gotham.

 

 

 





	2. Clues

Superman split them into groups, assigning certain people to certain parts of Gotham. A map was pulled up of Gotham and Superman was pointing to each location as he spoke.

“Artemis, M’gann, Superboy and Kaldur, you will search this half of Midtown. Report back if you see anything out of the ordinary.” Superman said.

Batman sighed and turned away from them. This was wrong. Robin should be standing beside him, commenting on how awesome it was that the Justice League and Young Justice were working together. Instead, he was probably strapped to a metal table somewhere underneath a beat up house in Old Gotham enduring God knows what. Anger welled up inside him for the hundredth time that week. This was all his fault. Some detective…

“Will you stop that?” Batman looked up and felt some of that anger dissolve.

“Stop what?”

Diana scoffed. “Brooding. You do enough of that when Dick is here. Besides, it isn't your fault.”

Batman shook his head, suppressing the urge to tell her just how ridiculous that was. “Of course it is. If I had been there I could have protected him-”

Diana cut him off with a hand on his own. “Bruce, this is not your fault. Dick wouldn't want you to blame yourself.”

Batman let the faintest of smiles farce his features before Superman’s voice interrupted them.

“Okay, time to go.”

———

Gotham was eerily still. There was gunshots in the distance, but none of the usual screams. Gotham was not fighting each other tonight. It had given up. Evacuations had already finished and the only ones left were the ones that liked the chaos.

The Dark Knight stood atop GCPD, looking out at the city. It was widely known that Batman didn't like other heroes in Gotham, yet he could see the red streak The Flash left behind and he felt that anger resurface. He wouldn't have needed The Flash or any of them here if he had only cancelled the meeting he was in when Dick went missing.

Green Arrow’s voice brought him out of his thoughts.

“Batman, we may have found something.”

His heart sped up but he didn't let himself hope. He knew all that got you was disappointment.

“I'm coming.”

—————

Green Arrow and Artemis stood side by side, staring at the blacked out glass of an abandoned shop. Batman began to question their sanity, but didn't get very far.

Green Arrow pointed to the glass.

Batman raised an eyebrow and turned to the glass. His stomach dropped.

There on the glass , in bright red spray paint was Robin’s technically catch phrase.

‘Holy KIDNAPPING, Batman.’

Batman stared at the words in silence before turning to Green Arrow and Artemis.

“This is bad.”

The duo looked at him in confusion.

“Robin was taken while he was wearing civilian clothes.” Batman trailed off. He watched as they realized what he was implying.

“That's impossible.” Artemis said.

“Are you sure?” Green Arrow asked.

Batman nodded. “Certain.” He said grimly.

“Whoever took him knows he's Robin.”

—————

Barry and Wally were on opposite ends of Gotham, searching each building inside and out. Superman thought it was best to search as many building as they could before searching for clues.

Wally was getting hungry. It wasn't that he didn't care for the mission - his best friend’s kidnapping was all he could think about - but a speedster couldn't function properly on an empty stomach. He had stopped at a candy store and was doing a pretty good job at cleaning the place out when something caught his eye.

He stopped shoveling chocolate in his mouth and looked up, dropping every piece of candy he had.

“Did you find Robin in that bucket?” His uncle crossed his arms in front of him and glared down at the younger speedster.

“I'll let you know when I finish it.” He mumbled around a mouthful of sweets and continued stuffing as much candy as he could into his mouth.

Barry was slightly disgusted. Speedster or not, that kid ate a lot.

“Aren't you supposed to be helping?”

“Hey, my best friend got kidnapped and I eat a lot when I'm nervous.” Wally said, throwing his hands out and hurrying to pick up the candy that flew to the side when he did.

Barry shook his head. “Anxiety has nothing to do with the size of your appetite.” He mumbled.

Both heroes froze as the ground began to rumble.

“Uh, Uncle Barry?”

“Shh,”

Wally frowned at being told to be quiet but his face quickly sobered when his uncle ducked behind the checkout counter. He was already lying on the floor so he could not see what had his uncle so unsettled.

“Uncle Barry?”

Barry pressed one finger to his lips, telling Wally to be quiet yet again. After the rumbling had passed, Barry said one word that could spell trouble for all of them.

“Tanks.”

—————

Batman was searching Dick’s room, looking for anything the boy might have left behind. He had found nothing so far, but went over the room another six times. With a heavy heart, he turned and shut the light off.

He pushed his cowl off and leaned against the wall and slid down. Once seated, he put his head in his hands. Despite what the rest of the team thought, this was his fault.

Bruce could remember the day he brought Dick home from the Juvenile detention center. They had put him there because there was no room for him in the orphanage. He was a grieving child, his parents had been murdered before him just a mere week before. He walked in the manor, small bag in hand. The only things he owned were his circus outfit and a picture of his family.

Bruce saw himself in the boy. They had both witnessed their parent’s deaths, but that isn't why Bruce took him in. He took Dick in to keep him safe, because unlike Bruce, Dick didn't have anyone. His family had been taken from him by the cold clutches of death. Yet, the orphan had this look in his eye. The look that was full of childhood innocence. Despite going through what he went through, he was able to maintain that innocence.

Bruce remembered telling Alfred that he hoped Dick would ‘grab it tight and never, ever let it go’.

It took him a month to warm up to Bruce and Alfred and get used to being the subject of many newspaper articles, but once he did, he was the happiest kid they had ever seen. It amazed Bruce how cheerful and carefree the child was. Alfred had interrupted Bruce’s brooding one evening to elbow him in the ribs and tell him:

“You could learn a thing or two from him, Master Bruce.”

The boy in question had been in the front yard with Barbara Gordon, laughing and showing her his circus tricks. Bruce had genuinely smiled at that.

He pulled his hands away from his face, confused as to why they were wet.

“I believe those are called tears, Master Bruce.”

Bruce jumped, looking up to find his butler holding a tray and studying him. Whatever he was searching for, he must not have found. He grabbed the cup on the tray and handed it to Bruce. He accepted the cup curiously, only to be pleasantly surprised by the coffee inside.

“Thank you, Alfred.”

Alfred hummed. He held the tray behind his back - ever the proper butler - and glared at the man on the floor.

“Might I suggest a nap?”

The very idea of taking a break repulsed him and he shook his head. “No, Alfred. Dick needs me.”

“Right you are, but you cannot go on like this. Master Dick needs you at your best and you have not slept since he before he was taken.” Alfred said.

Bruce sloshed the liquid around before glancing up at his aging butler. Sometimes it slipped his mind that the man had practically raised him and saw him as a son. He worried for him just as Bruce worried about Dick. It pained him to deny the man.

“Even if I wanted to, I couldn't. Not until Dick is safe in his bed.” Bruce said as he finished off the coffee.

Alfred accepted his refusal but sent him a look that was scarier than the bat-glare.

“Very well. I assume you will resume your search?”

“Yes. I will let you know if I find anything.” Bruce pulled on his cowl.

Whoever took his son had hell to pay.

 

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What can I say, I'm a fan of those one-liner endings. Reviews are always appreciated. Thanks for reading.


End file.
